Interwoven Threads of Fate
by Cyber.09
Summary: -Post TC, mentions of BotL and Stolen Chariot- AU Like immortals, heroes sometimes also fade. After Annabeth joins the Hunters, Percy remains behind and struggles to remember why it is he fights, but he is not alone. Percy/Clarisse


**Title**: Interwoven Threads of Fate  
**Summary**: Post TC, mentions of BotL and Stolen Chariot AU Like immortals, heroes sometimes also fade. After Annabeth joins the Hunters, Percy remains behind and struggles to remember why it is he fights, but he is not alone.  
**Pairing**: Percy/Clarisse  
**Rating**: PG to PG-13 (maybe)  
**Warning(s)**: possibly eventual violence  
**Disclaimer**: I can only wish this was mine.

**Author's Note**: Yes…I ship Percy/Clarisse :dodges tomatoes: but it's not because I hate Percy/Annabeth (it'll always be my OTP no matter what). I just have a tendency to write fics involving ships that will _never_ be canon—EVER. I have no idea why. Also, I wanted to toy around with this "What if?" idea ever since reading _Titan's Curse_.

Finally I decided, "Screw the Harpies, I'm hungry dammit!"

And I hadn't wanted to spend another sleepless second haunted by memories of the Labyrinth. So I made my way to the Big House, careful to avoid the Harpies. I was only about a foot away from the door when I noticed a dim light coming from one of the windows.

Now I may have been hungry, but even I wasn't suicidal enough to risk getting caught sneaking out by Mr. D. But just as I was about to turn around and tiptoe my way back to the cabins, I heard it. Sobbing. And I wasn't stupid enough to believe it was coming from Mr. D.

I crept to the window where the light was coming from and peered through the glass. I was pretty sure my eyes grew to the size of saucers when I saw little Percy Jackson crying like a little boy in his arms. I think under any other circumstances, I might've burst out laughing right there and then (ignoring the fact that Harpies are really sensitive to sound), but the thought never crossed my mind. I mean, this was what I had been waiting for ever since he doused me with toilet water, right? To watch the punk get what's coming to him, to see him totally and brutally beaten.

But I had a feeling it was much deeper than that. So I snuck in the Big House anyway. Jackson looked up at the sound of the door opening and closing but looked more annoyed that someone had interrupted his emo moment than the fact that someone actually saw him. "What are _you_ doing here?" he hissed.

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "I should be asking you the same thing." I made my way to the kitchen and came back out a few seconds later with a tub of chocolate ice cream and a spoon. I opened it and dug into the chocolaty goodness. The runt glared at me but said nothing, hurriedly wiping his eyes.

We continued to sit in silence until my ears were unable bear it any longer. I was a lot more used to hearing us exchange insults with each other, this was just unnatural. "Not that I'm curious, but if you were just going to cry all night, wouldn't it be better to do it in the privacy your cabin, where you won't have to risk getting caught by Harpies?" I asked bluntly.

Jackson narrowed his eyes and I saw a small tinge of a blush on his face. I smirked in triumph when he looked away, embarrassed. I snickered and went on, "So what are you so depressed about anyway? You're back in camp, you saved the day—again, and you're still in one piece, unfortunately. You miss your mommy already?"

Jackson whipped his head and, I swear to the gods, fixed me with the fiercest glare I had ever seen on anyone, including my father. His green eyes were literally glowing. I don't know how, but I somehow managed to swallow a gulp. "Look Clarisse, it's midnight and I really don't want to start anything with you right now. Just leave me alone this once, will you? I'll let you beat me to a pulp all you want in the morning."

…This kid had no idea what he just did.

I slammed my fist on the table and stood up. "Oh, I'd love to take you up on that offer, but you know what? You're not worth my time." The little punk looked ready to retort but I didn't give him the chance to. "Do you honestly think I enjoy beating people up who can't—or won't—fight back? Just what kind of daughter of Ares would I be? Because unlike you, I have honor."

"…You weren't exactly hesitant to drown me in toilet water when I first came here."

"And you weren't exactly defenseless either."

For the first time since I got here, the kid actually looked better—albeit, a little. A small grin crossed his lips. "Touché." After what felt like an eternity, he sighed, running his hand through his grayish (when did that happen?) hair. "Annabeth joined the Hunters." he said shakily, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I blinked. Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed Annabeth return with Jackson and that satyr since their quest. "Why?"

Jackson shook his head, tears returning to his eyes. "I don't know." he whispered.

I inwardly groaned. Geez, if this was how all the kids of the Big Three acted, then Western civilization was doomed. "Oh, stop with the water works already." Percy looked stunned and I continued more quietly, "You're the not the first person in the world who's ever lost someone important and you're definitely not going to be the last, the way things are shaping up."

I tried to ignore the stare Seaweed Brain was giving me as I went on my task of finishing the ice cream but it was unnerving. Suddenly I heard him chuckle, followed by the sound of a chair scraping the floor. I watched, curious, as Percy headed to the kitchen and returned to his seat with a spoon. He smiled. "Thanks for the reminder." Then he took a scoop of ice cream for himself.

**Author's Note**: Thanks for reading! Unless it turns out no one likes the idea of Percy and Clarisse together, this will be a series of interconnecting one-shots (yes, I actually have a plot in mind). Please review. Criticisms are encouraged and flames will be used to burn the evil known as exams.


End file.
